Portable communication devices have become increasingly popular, particular for traveling business persons. A portable communication device permits a user to perform multiple tasks on a computer, such as word processing, at any location. A portable communication device also permits a user to communicate, via a modem, with another device or with the Internet, from any location.
A portable communication device communicates with the Internet by connecting to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) serving a local area in which the portable communication device is located. A typical local area may comprise one or more cities. Many ISPs have several different local access numbers for different cities located within their local areas to facilitate cheaper access costs within those cities. By dialing the appropriate local access number for the local area in which the portable communication device is located, the user can avoid a long distance charge when connecting to the Internet. A problem with this procedure is that the user may not know the appropriate local access number for the local area from which he or she is attempting to communicate. Thus, the user has to somehow keep track of various local access numbers, for example by manually entering them into a database in the portable communication device. As can be seen from the attached Appendix of the IBM Global Network Phone List and the IBM Global Network Internet Registration Phone List, the list of local access numbers can be quite extensive. Thus, it would be difficult for the user to memorize all the necessary local access numbers or to manually enter them into a database. Also, entering the local access numbers into a database consumes valuable memory in the portable communication device. These problems become more complicated as the local access numbers change, more are created, or the user needs to communicate from more local areas, since this requires updating of the list of local access numbers.
Another problem with the user keeping track of the local access numbers is that the user has to know the local area he or she is in at a given time and/or the ISP that serves that local area, or if there are various ISP's serving the local area, the ISP that will be the cheapest to connect to. Then, the user must select an appropriate local access number, accordingly. The only alternative is for the user to use a more expensive 800 number or place a long distance call to single local number.
This problem is complicated by the fact that the selection of an appropriate local access number may depend on other factors besides cost, e.g., the quality of the transmission link provided by various ISP's. Worse yet, many tasks of the portable computer are automatically carried out without the user's active participation, and thus it may be impossible for the user to select an appropriate local access number before a connection is made. In this case, the portable communication device may use a local access number which is not the most desirable.
One approach to solving this problem has been developed by Microsoft Corp. As described in a Jul. 30, 1996 Microsoft Press Release entitled "Microsoft Announces Internet Referral Server to Facilitate Selection of Internet Service Provider for Users of Windows, Microsoft Internet Explorer", the proposed solution presents a choice of ISPs with local telephone access numbers, along with their subscription and pricing information, based on the user's country, area code, and telephone exchange, and the user selects an ISP. While this approach makes it easier for the user to determine local access numbers of an ISP serving the local area from which he or she desires to communicate, the user is still required to select an appropriate local access number.
Thus, there is a need for a method and system which enable a user to communicate from a portable communication device from any location in the most effective manner without requiring that the user keep track of and select an appropriate local access number.